


every action has an equal and opposite reaction

by JaneScarlett



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Alternate Universe - Greek Mythology, F/M, Hades and Persephone AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-25
Updated: 2018-06-25
Packaged: 2019-05-28 11:10:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15047567
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JaneScarlett/pseuds/JaneScarlett
Summary: "The Pantheon of Immortals was never quite how humanity pictured it.  After all, everyone has a job to do.  Ours is just to enforce the laws of the universe."





	every action has an equal and opposite reaction

**Author's Note:**

> It's gone in a slightly different direction, but this fic was originally inspired from this tumblr post:   
> <https://gibbs274.tumblr.com/post/169452564520/barba-this-isnt-wall-street-this-is-hell-we>
> 
> Much love and thanks are owed to savageandwise and goddessdel. This story would literally not exist without them.
> 
> Fic title Newton's 3rd law. Chapter title is from 'Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.'

She slammed through the front door with her coat thrown hastily around her shoulders, her boots unzipped so that the soft leather swished around her ankles. It was so early in the morning that the sky was still a dull, dark blue, but Olivia cursed softly under her breath as she ran down the block toward Ninth Avenue.

She was going to be late for work. The shelter she worked for had a food shipment scheduled for 6:00am… and Amaro would likely have arrived by now, but she was the primary contact. She _should_ be there. Liv paused on the corner, hopping on one foot to zip her boots as she considered her choices. 

One: text Amaro to let him she was on her way. She’d only be a few minutes late, anyway.

Two: take the bus. She still had ten minutes. More than enough time for the M11 to make it (but not if she had to wait at the bus stop too long.).

Or, three: taxi. Taking a cab past the entrance of the Lincoln Tunnel was usually slow and onerous, but at this time of morning? It should be fine. She squinted toward the oncoming traffic and spotted an empty cab a few blocks away, barreling down the avenue. She waved to hail it, and then stepped back quickly as it pulled up in front of her with a slight screech.

She frowned. There was something wrong with the car, and it took a moment to realize it wasn’t just the lack of flashing screens, or glowing LED displays… The cab was larger than usual, all sloping angles and prominent headlights. The window rolled down, the driver craned his neck to peer out at her. 

“Well?” he demanded, with a heavy Staten Island accent. “In or out?”

“In,” Liv said slowly. “But… your car?”

“Sweet, isn’t she?” He patted the dashboard, affectionately.

“Sweet,” she echoed. She tapped one finger against the black-and-white trim, running from end to end of the car. “I didn’t think New York used checkered cabs anymore.”

“Their loss. Too bad, am I right? She’s such a beauty.” He gave the dashboard another affectionate pat. She managed not to ask if they’d rather be alone.

“It’s been nearly twenty years since the last checkered cab ran,” she finally said. “Almost two decades. Does it meet current safety standards? Do you even take cards?”

“Sure, it’s 2018. I can take anything. I have to tell you,” he lowered his voice, conspiratorially, “I like cards better. Really wore down my pockets when I had to carry cash. There was a time everyone paid for their rides in coins… but 2018? Much better, with all the digital and the plastics.”

“Now,” he jerked his head toward the back, “in or out?”

She only hesitated for a moment before saying decisively: “In.” The car choice seemed strange, but she was late enough to overlook the inconsistency. The driver seemed eccentric but harmless; rather like most New York cabbies. And anyway, she wasn’t defenseless.

Liv reached for the door handle, only to stop short at the sight of another hand already there.

“Hey,” she said, subtly trying to jostle the other hand off. “This is my cab.” The sky was brighter, but still not light, and Liv squinted at the owner of the hand. Dark hair, and light-colored eyes. He wore a long black coat, covering what looked like a three-piece suit, and sleek black leather gloves; he had a briefcase tucked beneath his arm and a phone clenched tightly in his hand. He was around her height, but there was something about him… even standing still, he exuded a sort of charisma that made him seem tall, strong, powerful. 

She squinted harder at him. There was something familiar about him, and she wasn’t certain what it was. He met her eyes for a moment, then looked away.

“Cabs are for riding in.” He shrugged. “You’ve been standing here and having a conversation.” 

“I needed to know if he took cards.” She waved her free hand at the old-fashioned exterior. “I wasn’t sure.”

“It’s 2018,” the man said, in a bizarre echo of the cabbie. “Of course, he takes cards. Anyway, Carisi always hated carrying coins.”

“Thanks for clearing that up. And he told me that too, about the coins.”

“He told you… Oh. He talks too much.” The man’s eyes flickered to the cabbie; who had the grace to stare straight ahead and pretend he wasn’t listening.

“Wait… you know him?”

The man sighed. “He considers me his mentor.”

“And you consider him...?”

“Annoying, on a good day. Glad to see we’re all on the same page, though. And, I’m going to need this cab.”

“No,” she said. “ _I’m_ going to need this cab. Look, I need to be somewhere.”

“That’s a surprise. Who would think that being out at 5:50 in the morning, hailing a cab, would mean you have somewhere to be?” His words were delivered in a deadpan tone, accompanied by a sardonic raise of his eyebrows. Liv drew in a breath, intending to deliver some sort of diatribe in response, when the man gave her a small, distracted smile.

“Compromise? We both have somewhere to be, and we’re both going downtown. How about we just share?”

“Share?”

“People think it’s meant to build character.” He pushed her hand off the handle, pulled the door open and clambered inside all in one movement. And then he peered back out at her, flashing her another quick smile. 

“Well? Aren’t you coming?” 

She hesitated. There was a part of her that wanted to tell him to go ahead, she’d get another cab. Her senses were telling her that something was strange with this situation: with a taxi that shouldn’t be in service, an overly chatty driver, and the well-dressed, oddly familiar man currently scrolling through something on his phone and not looking up at her.

But it had been her cab first. She needed to get to work. And… what reason did she really have for not sharing the ride?

She slid into the taxi, closing the door behind her. The man promptly leaned across her to lock the door.

“Finally,” he said, sounding relieved. “I was worried you were going to stand there forever, Kore.”

Liv froze. “What did you call me?”

“Your name?” He gave her a sharp look. “You can drop the act. Don’t you know me?”

She wanted to say no. She _meant_ to say no. But then he smiled at her; a proper smile that made her heart lurch and her stomach clench. Strange that a smile could have such an effect, that something so seemingly innocent could provoke fear and surprise and recognition.

“You,” she hissed, reaching out to claw at the door lock.

“Me,” Hades agreed. He smiled at her again, almost apologetically, as the cab peeled away from the curb with a sickening screech of tires to shoot down Ninth Avenue.


End file.
